"Time has come" to refer Syria war crime
GENEVA (Reuters) - U.N. human rights investigator Carla del Ponte said on Monday the "time has come" for the Security Council to refer war crimes in Syria to the International Criminal Court (ICC) for prosecution,nike blazer prezzo.
"We follow the chain of command to establish the responsibility of high political and military suspects for the commission of crimes," she told a news briefing as the team released their latest report. "I think it is urgent that the ICC takes up this case of very high officials."
(Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay; Editing by Jon Hemming)
Related Articles：Association Releases New "High Friction Surfa
FREDERICKSBURG, Va., March 4, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --An international roadway safety association - the American Traffic Safety Services Association (ATSSA) has released an all-new publication designed to provide transportation agencies and local governments with information on a relatively new lifesaving technology the installation of high friction surfacing on America's roadways.
High friction surfacing treatments result when small-sized polish and wear-resistant aggregates are bonded to the pavement surface with a resin product. The treated surface increases a motor vehicle's braking capacity significantly.
The new publication, "Safety Opportunities in High Friction Surfacing," provides an overview of the technology and case studies that demonstrate where installations of the new surface treatment have resulted in significant reductions in motor vehicle crashes. The publication also aligns itself with the Federal Highway Administrations' (FHWA) "Every Day Counts" initiative, which is, according to the agency's website, "designed to identify and deploy innovation aimed at shortening project delivery, enhancing the safety of our roadways and protecting the environment."
"The effort to complete this new publication is one of many joint efforts over the last year in which the roadway safety industry has partnered with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) to ensure that this latest lifesaving roadway technology is understood and applied correctly as a speed countermeasure to increase braking and vehicle control to reduce crashes,nike blazer high, especially at horizontal curves and intersections," said ATSSA's High Friction Surfacing Council Chairman Robert Dingess.
ATSSA's President and Chief Executive Officer Roger Wentz added, "Both the Federal Highway Administration and AASHTO's pavement and safety staff provided genuine leadership in testing and documenting the benefits of high friction surfacing for a number of years. We feel the case studies in this new publication will serve as an excellent resource for state and local agencies facing similar safety problems."
Since 1969, ATSSA has represented companies and individuals in the traffic control and roadway safety industry. Over 1,nike blazers,600 ATSSA members provide the majority of features, services and devices used to make our nation's roadways safer. These include pavement markings, road signs, work zone traffic control devices, guardrail, and other roadside safety features.
On the web: HighFrictionSurface,nike blazer vintage.net
SOURCE American Traffic Safety Services Association (ATSSA)
Related Articles：Bahrain government says reconciliation talks set t
DUBAI (Reuters) - Bahrain's government said on Wednesday talks aimed at breaking nearly two years of political deadlock would proceed after opposition groups seeking a parliamentary democracy accepted an invitation from the king.
Bahrain is a key ally of Washington in a stand-off with Iran since it provides a base for the U.S. navy's Fifth Fleet.
The small island state has been in political turmoil since protests led by majority Shi'ite Muslims demanding democratic change in the Sunni-led monarchy erupted in early 2011.
Information Minister Samira Rajab told Reuters on Wednesday that the government would ask all parties to nominate representatives to the talks, which could start soon provided they were "very serious" about dialogue,nike blazer low.
"Their statement was positive," Rajab said of the opposition's acceptance of the invitation,womens nike blazers.
"All the steps will start,nike air force ones. I think the timeframe will go fast, as long as all the parties are willing to go through positive, very serious dialogue," she said.
She said the government would moderate the event, help arrange the agenda and implement any recommendations that it produced.
"As far as I understand, the government won't be represented there. They will be the moderators, the regulator," she said without elaborating.
Thirty-five people died during the uprising and over two months of martial law in 2011, but the opposition says that figure has risen to over 80. The government rejects the attribution of many of those deaths to the political conflict.
It accused opposition groups of sabotaging Bahrain's image and being linked to Shi'ite Muslim power Iran. Protesters and opposition parties said they want to end the ruling family's domination by giving parliament full powers to legislate and form governments.
Martial law has since been lifted and Bahrain has introduced some reforms, which the opposition has dismissed as cosmetic and smaller scale protests have continued.
Opposition groups say previous promises of constructive dialogue by the authorities have come to nothing and accuse the government of continuing to crush dissent.
But they welcomed the latest invitation from King Hamad bin Issa al-Khalifa, saying they hoped the gesture was serious.
Khalil al-Marzouq, an official of the main opposition group Wefaq, said he had no details on how the talks would be organized. The government was usually slow in providing information about such matters, he said.
Shi'ite Muslims complain of discrimination in the electoral system, jobs, housing, education and government departments.
Talks in July 2011 ended inconclusively after Wefaq pulled out, complaining it had not been allowed enough representation at the negotiations, and there were too many handpicked participants to reach a meaningful consensus.
(Reporting by Sami Aboudi and William Maclean; Editing by Tom Pfeiffer)
Related Articles：Barnes & Noble posts 3Q loss as Nook demand slows_
NEW YORK (AP) Physical books may have a longer shelf life than expected. Barnes & Noble posted a third-quarter loss on Thursday, partly because demand for its e-books and Nook e-book readers have plummeted.
Many have predicted the eventual demise of physical books, as e-book readers and e-book demand soars. But that trend appears to be slowing, at least with the Nook, according to Barnes & Noble CEO William Lynch. And digital "cannibalization" consumers buying e-books instead of physical books has also slowed.
The company reported said sales of digital media including digital books, digital newspapers and magazines, and apps rose just 7 percent during the fiscal third quarter. Sales had risen 38 percent in the second quarter and 46 percent in the first quarter.
Barnes & Noble, based in New York, has invested heavily in its Nook e-book readers and a digital library as more readers shift to electronic books and competition has grown from discount stores and online rivals.
"After the hyper growth in the e-book market over the last few years, consumers have settled into their book formats of choice, and while e-books will continue to drive growth in the book category in the future, physical book sales will have a longer tail (or longer life expectancy) than previously anticipated," he said in a call with investors.
The Nook unit has attracted investors Microsoft owns 16.8 percent, while U.K. publisher and education company Pearson has a 5 percent stake. But aside from investor funding, it has not been profitable, and has fared worse than its competitors, Amazon.com's Kindle and Apple Inc.'s iPad and iPad Mini.
The company acknowledged it needs to take significant steps to make the Nook unit profitable, or try to spin it off. Lynch said cost cutting and other measures are forthcoming, and Barnes & Noble shares rose nearly 8 percent.
The Nook weighed on the retail stores. Revenue in the entire retail unit,nike blazer hi, which includes the bookstores and website, fell 10 percent to $1.51 billion. Revenue in stores open in at least one year fell 7.3 percent, and store closings and lower online sales also hurt results. But excluding Nook sales, revenue in Barnes & Noble stores open at least one year fell 2.2 percent in the fourth quarter.
Revenue from the chain's college bookstore unit fell nearly 2 percent to $517 million.
The company has 689 bookstores in 50 states as well as 674 college bookstores.
In the fiscal third quarter through Jan. 26,nike blazer prezzo, the New York company posted a loss of $6.1 million, or 18 cents per share. The company blamed the loss in part on charges stemming from the weaker-than-expected sales of Nook e-readers during the holiday shopping season. Analysts had expected a profit of 53 cents per share.
In the same period the year before, the New York company posted a profit of $52 million, or 71 cents per share.
Revenue fell 9 percent to $2.22 billion analysts polled by FactSet predicted a more modest decline, to $2.4 billion.
Nook revenue fell 26 percent to $316 million. Barnes & Noble company recorded $21 million in returns due to weak demand during the holiday season, and $15 million in allowances for promotions.
"Coming off the holiday shortfall, we're in the process of making some adjustments to our strategy as we continue to pursue the exciting growth opportunities ahead for us in the consumer and digital education content markets,nike air force ones," he said.
In a call with investors, Lynch also addressed the offer of Leonard Riggio, Barnes & Noble's founder, to buy the physical bookstores and website of Barnes & Noble, but not the Nook unit. No terms or other details have been announced.
"We can't comment further on Len Riggio's plan to make a proposal to purchase the retail business other than to confirm ongoing discussions between Len and the strategic committee of the board," Lynch said Thursday.
For fiscal 2013, the company expects revenue in stores open at least one year to fall in the low- to mid-single digit range. Revenue in stores open at least one year in its college bookstores are expected to fall by a low single digit percentage.
Shares rose $1.18, or 7.8 percent, to $16.41 during midday trading. The stock has traded between $10.45 and $26 during the past 52 weeks.
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